Thursday, July 05, 2012

And the livin’ is easy–or so the song goes. I don’t know about that. Sure,
the days are long, the flowers are lush, and the fruits and veggies are
amazing. But despite the lovely weather, most of us still have to work.

Except on holidays. The
Fourth is usually filled with fun and relaxation. If we’re lucky, the holiday
falls on a Friday or Monday and we get a long weekend. This year, that wasn’t
the case, and now that the celebration is over, many of us are back at work. Whether
we want to be there or not.

Don’t get me wrong–I love what I do. Writing is my passion, and I thoroughly
bringing the ideas in my head to life. But on a hot summer day, sitting at my
desk and focusing on work isn’t always easy. The allure of heading for the
beach or the woods or simply taking a book outside and reading in the shade is
tough to fight.

So here’s my burning
question of the day: How do you fight the urge to play hooky?

Sunday, July 01, 2012

An aspiring author once said she envied me because, as a multi-published author, I didn’t
have to be afraid when I started a book. Afraid that I’d fail. Afraid that the
ideas would desert me.

I disabused her of that notion. Although writing may be
rewarding, even exhilarating, it’s also daunting and dangerous in its way.

Take the book I just started writing for Harlequin American,
the eleventh in my Safe Harbor Medical miniseries. I’d set up an appealing hero
and heroine, an interesting plotline and good conflict. What could go wrong?

Well, as I began the second chapter, I
sat staring at my computer thinking, This is too predictable.

Despite all the interesting elements, it was clear how the
story would develop, where the conflicts and discoveries would come, and how
the couple would resolve them.

If I’m already bored, the reader will be too. Never mind
those idiots who don’t read romance novels but go around proclaiming that our
books are all alike. They aren’t. Certainly not the good ones, and that’s what
I try to write.

So I typed a note to myself: Make something unexpected
happen.

And, after I played around with ideas and reevaluated my
characters, it did. Nothing earth shattering or genre bending, I assure you
(and my editor, who may be reading this). No aliens will land atop Safe Harbor
Medical Center and no miracle-producing babies will be born in the maternity
ward. I just found a twist to keep things interesting and produce additional
tension and uncertainty for my characters.

I’m sure I’ll experience a few more scary moments before I
finish the book, times when I'll wonder if I can pull it off and if these people
really will fall in love in a dramatic, sparkling fashion. But that’s why, even
after selling 93 novels, I never get tired of writing them.

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